Slow Cooker Lentil Rice Bowl with Plantains

This Trini-style slow cooker lentil rice bowl is filled with Caribbean inspired plant-based flavours and is a great healthy gluten-free, vegan lunch or dinner.

I wasn’t always a big fan of rice and avoided it as often as my mother would allow. However, rice was a staple in my house, so I ate much more of it than I cared to.

But as I got older and my tastes evolved, rice was one of the many things I reintroduced into my diet. I don’t eat it everyday but when I do, I actually enjoy it now. I mean what’s not to love about burrito bowls, buddha bowls and now this Trini-style slow cooker lentil rice bowl? Oh, and we can’t forget about rice pudding.

One of my main issues with rice what how bland it is so I’m always looking for ways to add flavour to rice based dishes. Usually, I rely on other part of my meal to provide that flavour. But this time I decided to get a little fancy and jazz up the rice itself.

One of the few rice meals I actually enjoyed when I was younger was black eyed peas and rice. My mother made it every new year for luck and would force us to eat it. Luckily, it tasted so good that it wasn’t really a hardship.

Since I spent the new year in Canada, I made my own vegan version back in December and fell in love all over again. So I decided to base this lentil rice bowl off of that.

The lentils and rice part of this recipe is pretty simple and calls for just 10 ingredients and 1 – 2 hours in the slow cooker. You can also prep this part of the rice bowl on the stove top or even in the oven in just 25 – 35 minutes.

The slow cooker version is my favourite since the rice and lentils mixture doesn’t turn out too moist (stovetop) or too dry (oven). It does take longer though, so the other methods are ideal if you’re pressed for time.

I also included some boiled plantains and broccoli when I was assembling the lentil rice bowl but that’s optional. You can totally eat the lentils and rice on its own or with a side salad.

The avocado however, is non-negotiable. Because what self-respecting rice bowl doesn’t come with ‘cado?

If you make this lentil rice bowl, I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a comment and rate the recipe or take a pic and tag it @ExSloth on Instagram!

This Trini-style slow cooker lentil rice bowl is filled with tonnes of Caribbean inspired plant-based flavours and is a great healthy vegan lunch or dinner

Author: GiselleR @ ExSloth.com

Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine: Vegan, Trini

Serves: 4 rice bowls

Ingredients

For the lentils and rice:

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ cup chopped onion

⅓ cup chopped sweet peppers

⅓ cup finely chopped carrots

1 tsp chopped cilantro

1 sprig thyme

¼ cup chopped tomato

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup brown rice

2½ cups vegetable stock

1 18oz can lentils, rinsed and drained

Optional add-ons for the bowls:

1 plantain, boiled or steamed and sliced

1 head of broccoli, boiled or steamed

avocado

pepper sauce and cilantro

Instructions

For the crockpot:

Grease crockpot with olive oil to avoid sticking

Add remaining ingredients to the crockpot and cook on high for 1½ - 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked

If cooking on the stovetop:

Heat oil in a large pot and saute onions, sweet peppers and carrots until softened, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add the garlic, cilantro, thyme, tomatoes and rice and saute for another 2 - 3 minutes, until fragrant

Add the lentils and stock and stir to combine

Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer for 20 - 30 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Add more stock or water as necessary

Taste and add salt or pepper sauce, if desired

If you haven't already cooked your plantain and broccoli, you can do so while the lentil and rice mixture is simmering

Comments

My husband loves rice and beans and probably would be happy having them for dinner every night. But I would get sooooo bored in the kitchen, I gotta try new things. I’m definitely trying this next time we have a rice and bean (well, rice and lentil) night. And plantains make EVERYTHING better.annie recently posted…Little Nutty Citrus Bites + Citrus Granola + Snack-it-Forward

I LOVE THE LOOK of this; I’m thankful that God, in His mercy, made rice and has blessed so many countries with rice as a cheap staple food. It can be so so tasty especially when you add lots of delicious spices and you made a huge bomb bowl here with rice. 🙂Emily recently posted…The Difference Between Doing Things out of Guilt or Grace